Current robotic laparoscopic surgical techniques allow high precision operations to be carried out, providing significant advantages especially in certain complex surgeries, including those in which there is great difficulty in accessing a surgical site. In some implementations, laparoscopic surgical pliers described herein are particularly applicable in such type of robotic laparoscopic surgery that is a minimally invasive technique as it is performed through small incisions in the patient. This technique is widely currently employed, such that in many cases it is used as an alternative to conventional laparoscopic surgery.
In this type of robotic surgery, robotic arm devices are employed actuating pliers capable of holding certain tools and instruments. In addition to the surgical precision achieved by the use of computing associated with these operations, direct contact of the surgeon on the patient can be reduced by such mechanisms, with consequent reduction of infections. Through a small incision, cameras and/or pliers are introduced into the patient to perform various operations with minimal trauma and negligible postoperative pain sequel.
The term pliers as used herein according to the intended use should be understood as a tool designed to be coupled to a robotic arm end. This robotic arm is usually operated remotely by a surgeon skilled in robotic laparoscopic operations and it is designed to grip and even to hold over any useful tool, body or device.
Many types of laparoscopic pliers exist based on their movement and geometry, which aspects depend to a great extent on the type of operation to which the pliers are ultimately intended. In a laparoscopic surgical operation several pliers are typically used, which usually have a configuration such that its distal end is provided with jaws having different configurations as mentioned above, for example, with or without teeth, having a straight or curved shape, etc.
One example of laparoscopic pliers used in robotic laparoscopic surgery is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,969,385. This document shows pliers used in a robotic device consisting of jaws fitted on a rotating body. The jaws comprise fingers that can be rotated to each other. The transmission of rotational movement of the fingers of the jaws is carried out through cables wound around grooved pulleys. The pulleys are mounted in correspondence with the axes of rotation of the fingers and the shaft of said rotating body that is attached to the robotic arm end, respectively.
A further example of transmission of movement of the pliers is by means of gears. In US2009192521 a surgical instrument is described consisting of pliers including a fixed finger and a movable finger. The moving finger of the pliers is driven through a gear train mechanism.
The use of cables and pulleys or gears in pliers as those described in this document is necessary for transmitting movement from driving means to pliers themselves for positioning them and for moving the jaws. This results in a pliers mechanism that is considerably complex. This mechanical complication is of great importance in the case in which the movement transmission cables have to pass through an articulated body, which usually occurs in the above described pliers. The fact that the transmission cables have to pass through an articulated body requires the provision of additional pulleys for being able to perform such transmission of movement from driving means to jaws.
Laparoscopic surgical pliers are provided having a configuration that allows movement to be transmitted through a kinematic assembly comprising various rotating members, from a driver to rotating members. This kinematic assembly of the pliers comprises members allowing the pliers to be positioned and members allowing jaws of pliers to be moved. As it will be seen hereinafter, the laparoscopic surgical pliers provide a simple, compact and reliable configuration, resulting in additional advantages, as it will be seen in the following.